A Friendship Forged
by Spining Smiles
Summary: A friend can make a world of difference in a lonely person's life. Trying to find a place to relax, Naruto accidentally stumbles upon a crying Sakura. Inspired by Ginjaa Ninjaa's challenge.


Naruto hated walking home. However, it wasn't because he was lazy. Many that knew the blond, his teachers especially, wouldn't hesitate to tell you that he was too active and should receive some sort of treatment to help contain it. No, he hated walking because of one thing.

The Stares.

Everywhere he looked on the street, there were people glaring at him, disdain and loathing burning in their eyes. They would whisper when they think he couldn't hear them, rude and hurtful things. They would glare at the back of his skull as he walked by, hoping to burn him into a crisp by willing it so. It was enough to make him go insane.

However, he usually met each glare with a huge grin. Even though he felt like he wanted to go crawl into a hole and die every time he was glared at,. he wouldn't let them think they won. It just wasn't in his nature to lose. And it worked, for the most part. People would turn away as soon as he grinned their way, muttering under their breath.

It was a hollow victory.

However, despite how much he hated being looked at in the same, evil way, there was one thing that he hated more.

The people who pretend he didn't exist.

They were few in number, since most people couldn't help but look at him, but there were a few that could completely ignore the blond. If there was one thing that Naruto hated, it was being ignored.

So when he passed them on the street, seeing them look through the blond like he wasn't there, completely brushing him off, Naruto felt like he lost.

How can you win against someone who denies your very existence?

It was that sort of person that was heading towards Naruto.

She was pretty for her age, despite the small wrinkles around her eyes and forehead. She had her black hair tied up in a ponytail and was wearing a traditional Kimono, something that Naruto found weird. She also carried within her hands bags of groceries. However, her brown eyes never betrayed her. They looked strait ahead, somewhat glazed with worry, mumbling about chores that needed to be done before the evening. She walked right Towards Naruto, never once glancing at the boy.

She wasn't even phased when her grocery bag smacked Naruto in the face.

Yelping, Naruto grabbed his noise and rubbed it soothingly. It was surprisingly heavy for a bag and he was surprised that she could carry it without a problem. Pulling his hand away, he noticed a few drops of blood on his palm. The people in the street were snickering like children, stray comments about how he deserved it floating around. The Woman with the bag, walked on, not noticing or ignoring the scene completely.

Sniffing and feeling completely helpless, Naruto ran. He couldn't stand to be in the street anymore, he just couldn't take it. He ignored the taunts from the people on the street, just racing somewhere, anywhere to be alone.

He turned into alleys and back roads, and roads he never knew existed, never once stopping. He ran and zig zagged, dodging crowed streets until he just couldn't run anymore.

Naruto stood still for a good minute, his hands resting on his knees and panting, waiting to catch his breath. Bringing a hand to his noise, to find out it wasn't bleeding anymore. Not that Naruto expected it to be. He long since learned that he was a quick healer, much faster then all the kids in his class. Regaining his breath, Naruto surveyed the area. And nearly groaned.

He was at the entrance of the Academy, the exact one that he was walking home from. Now he had to walk back again, through the very streets he just ran from...

Blinking, Naruto realized that the Academy gate was still opened, even though school ended nearly an hour ago. Squinting at the gate, Naruto felt like he should know why it was open...

"Aa-hah!" He yelled out, hitting his fist against his opened palm. He remembered a small part of the introduction to the Academy last month, That school grounds were opened till at least 8pm to allow students time to train on the Academy's private training field.

Although it was small compared to other training grounds, barely being 40 acres, It held everything an Academy student would need to help them sharpened their skills. And a place for Naruto to hang out until the streets cleared up a bit.

Grinning like a loon, Naruto started walking towards the back of the school. It was a small walk to the grounds, since the school only had about 300 kids at most at any given time and needed very little in space. Feeling a bit excited, Naruto walked onto the field. It was pretty place, with many trees and bushes dotting the land. It was also slightly hilly, with a small stream going through the middle of it.

To Naruto's surprise, there were actually a lot more people here then he expected. Instead the lone kid working on his shuriken throwing or something else that he expected, there was a group... picking flowers? Squinting a bit at the group in the distance, Naruto realized that all of them were girls, judging by their clothes. However, it was too far away for Naruto to see any faces.

Deciding it would be best if he remained unseen, Naruto headed for a group of trees surrounded by some bushes.

*%&%&%*

Sakura, seemingly for the hundredth time, tried to rub her tears away. But no matter what she tried, they continued to fall.

Sakura was having a fun time earlier. It was a pain staying after school for another hour or so when she could be doing something else, but the Kunoichi class were satisfying and necessary to make her an elite Kunoichi. And not to mention that the extra class was expensive, and her parents would kill her if she skipped them.

Her instructor had told them that they were going to go outside to learn flower arrangement, something that Sakura doubted that would help her in her career. But wanting to please her teacher, she tried her best anyway. Walking outside, Sakura realized it was nice outside. It was spring time, and the heat had yet to show up and there was a slight breeze cooling them off. They walked, some stumbling due to the geta they all were wearing, to a hill that was covered in flowers. Sakura had gasped at the beautiful display.

Then their teacher had told them to gather flowers they liked, dispersing the group of small girls. Sakura was bending down to pick a pretty purple flower when trouble showed up.

Another girl in her Class, Ami, Sakura believed her name was, followed by two other girls headed straight for her. Smiling at them, Sakura shyly greeted. "H-hello." unsure of what to say next, Sakura feel silent, looking at the brunette girl's feet.

Ami crossed her arms and sniffed in disdain. "You act funny. My face isn't on the ground, it's up here! Look at me when you talk to me!" she demanded, stepping closer to Sakura. Lifting her head hesitatingly, Sakura obliged. Ami gasp in shock.

"Whoa, your forehead is huge!" Ami exclaimed, her mouth forming a smirk. The girls behind her agreed instantly, both chorusing, "Yeah!"

"W-what? No it isn't!" Sakura argued, her right hand unconsciously going to her head.

"Yes it is! You could paint a target on it and hit it with a shuriken twenty feet away!"

"No you can't! My forehead is normal size!" They were lying, her mother would of told her if her forehead was unusually sized. Right?

Ami let out an snort. "If you were normal, then I'd rather be a freak, because your forehead is ugly and big!"

"Yeah, it's huge!" the red haired girl on the left added.

"You should let people advertise on it! That way it could be of some use!" the browned haired girl on the right said maliciously.

Tears forming in her eyes, Sakura yelled, "Nu-ah! My mom says I'm pretty!" why wasn't the teacher helping her? Looking around, Sakura didn't see her anywhere. Did she go back inside for something?

"You're not pretty! You as ugly as your forehead, Forehead!" Ami taunted, causing the girls around them to start giggling. Sakura looked at the other girls, feeling betrayed. With tears pouring down her face, Sakura ran away from the group.

That was twenty minutes ago. Now Sakura was sitting under a tree, hugging her knees to her chest as she cried. She wasn't that ugly, was she? Her mommy said she pretty, but was she just saying that cause she was her mom? Too busy thinking, she never noticed the blond boy watching her through the bushes.

*%&%&%*

Naruto heard the noise before he even got to the grove itself. Curious, Naruto slowly made his way through the bush, trying to make as little noise as possible. Slowly moving a branch out of his view, he was surprised to find it was girl his age.

The first thing that caught his eye was her pink hair. It looked weird, but not in a bad way. It was also familiar... Then he noticed that the girl was crying. Naruto froze, just standing there like a statue. He had never seen anyone cry before, besides himself, and he hadn't a clue on what to do. So he stood there, watching as the girl hugged her knees, completely helpless.

"I-I don't h-have a h-huge forehead..." she said aloud, sniffing and hiccuping the entire time as the tears rolled down her face. "A-A-Ami is lying... M-Mom would of t-told me..." she tried, failing to comfort herself.

Naruto blinked. That sounded _very_ familiar. He had told himself nearly the same thing when he met that bully last year. The Bully had said that his parents left him because he was bad baby and they didn't want a son like _him_. And Naruto yelled at him to stop. But the Bully continued, and he ran to the Hokage's office, muttering the same thing. Instead of mom, however, it was Hokage-jiji. Was she being bullied? Deciding to try and help her, he stepped boldly out of the bushes.

The girl froze, her neck spinning so fast, it made Naruto winced, sure she had hurt it somehow. Her face, frozen with fear, quickly melted into one of anger and annoyance. With tears still streaming, the girl growled, "W-what do you w-want Naruto-baka?"

Now he realized why her hair looked familiar. She was in the same class as him. Sakura, Naruto remembered, putting a name to the hair. She sat in the row in front of him, and he remembered her as a really smart kid. However, she had probably only remembered him as a class clown. But it was too late to turn back, so he continued on boldly.

"Your forehead..." He began, catching Sakura's attention. "is kinda big." quickly realizing his mistake as the tears poured faster, he quickly amended, "But not in a bad way! It suits you!"

sniffing, she began bitterly "Y-yeah right. W-what would you know? Your just a-a baka." Although she was still crying, Naruto knew she was feeling a little better, since her tears were slowing down.

"Well, whoever said your forehead was big was a baka too!" he declared, stepping closer to her. "So what if your forehead is different sized? so is everyone's!" she looked at him strangely. Rubbing what's left of her tears, she mumbled, "whatever..." She then turned her head away, purposely looking away from him. Forming a plan, Naruto grinned like a fox.

He quickly grabbed her arm, causing her to yelp, and quickly pulled her up. He started dragging her, she trying desperately to keep up. "H-hey! What are you doing, Baka! Your not supposed to do this to a girl!" Sakura protested. However, try as she might, she could manage to make him let go. So, saving her energy, she followed Naruto.

After a five minute walk, Naruto dragged her to the stream. He let go of her arm which she snatched away from him, afraid he was going to drag her again. Smiling, Naruto pointed to the water. "Look at yourself in the water." he directed. She shook her head violently.

"No! I don't want to." she said, turning away from him with a childish huff. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Sakura turned around to yell at him but lost the ability to speak. His eyes were staring into hers, completely different from before. Sakura found herself at a lost of words of how to describe it. "Please?" he begged. Begged? When did Naruto _beg? _

"...Fine." she agreed reluctantly. "But stop looking at me like that." she added. "It's scary." Naruto instantly grinned in a Naruto like way. Sighing, Sakura walked to the waters edge.

Looking into the water, Sakura wasn't surprised to see that her eyes were red and puffy, obvious signs that she had been crying. She also noticed that her hair was messy with a couple stray hairs that managed to get loose.

Sakura, however, paid the most attention to her forehead. _Dear Kami, It is huge! _Sakura thought despairingly. She put a tentative hand to her forehead, trying to comprehend just who big it was, when Naruto walked up right next to her. She didn't look up, content to watch his reflection.

Instead of the smile she was expecting to see on his usually cheery face, she once again saw that look in his eye, his mouth curved into a frown. Slowly, almost hesitatingly, he traced the weird scars on his cheek.

"People can be mean." He began, his voice solemn, his hand still tracing his scars. "and can say very hurtful stuff. It makes you feel horrible, that you are a freak in a crowd of amazing people. You feel lonely, like no one would except you, no matter what you do."

Sakura, her eyes never leaving his reflection, stood there, shocked, her mouth wide. _He described what I'm feeling like perfectly._ She realized, dumbfounded. _How does he know?_

Seemingly oblivious to her, he continued. "A kid last year tried to beat me up," He paused at Sakura horrified gasp. "cause I was trying to stop him from bullying other people. He didn't like me to begin with, and I guess that was the last straw. He chased me all around Konoha. He wouldn't give up, too. So I ran, and ran, and finally managed to reach my Apartment. I quickly locked him out."

"But, he pounded on my door, yelling all kind of insults. Mainly about my parents and the scars on my face." He paused again, letting the story sink in. He waited to see if she would say anything.

"...what happen to your parents?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

He shrugged. "Dunno. I'm an orphan, so people like to tell me that they abandoned me, but I know that's not true." once again, she gasped. _He doesn't have any parents? He said apartment. Does he live on his own?_ Sakura was once again, dumbfounded, her mind trying to comprehend the fact.

"He left a bit later, I guess tired of trying to beat down my door. However, his words hurt me more then any punch would. I cried. I'm not sure how long I cried, but it was dark out when Jiji found me."

Sakura, although still shocked about his story, felt little better. _Jiji? So he isn't on his own. He is living with his Grandpa_.

Naruto once again spoke. "What he told me is what I'm going to tell you." he began, his voice so serious, that Sakura strained every fiber of her being to pay attention. "Words mean nothing, especially when said in anger. It doesn't matter if the whole wide world sees you as a bad guy; it's only true if you think your bad too. So don't cry when they call you names. Smile, knowing that they are wrong about you."

Sakura looked up from the stream to see Naruto was once again grinning, his eyes bright. "So the next day, with his words in mind, I walked by the kid who tried to beat me up. He called me more names, expecting to get a rise. So, I laughed and smiled at him like he told me an amazing joke. He was so confused, that he didn't call me name for the rest of the year." Naruto suddenly snickered. "You should of seen his face, all scrunch up like that. It was so funny looking."

Naruto, scrunch his face up and cocked his head to the side, his face a perfect copy of the bully. A sudden noise from Sakura made him pause.

_Shes laughing._ He realized, watching her shoulders shake up and down, her hand covering her mouth at poor attempt of hiding her face. Naruto, in his short time knowing her, never heard her laugh once. _I like it._

Slowly, her laughter morphed into snickers and then finally giggles. Wiping a tear from her eye from her smiling face, she took a deep breath. "Oh Kami, that face looked funny." she giggled once more.

Naruto smiled. "Ya know, you should try the same." Seeing her confused look, Naruto explained "When they make fun of you, laugh like you did now. With a laugh like that, there is no way they would make fun of you!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, throwing his fist in the air.

"But... I don't think I can." She mumbled, suddenly unsure of herself, her head facing the ground. She yelped once again when Naruto grabbed her wrist and started dragging her. "Baka! What are you doing?" she yelled angrily, glaring at the boy in front of her.

"I'm gonna teach you how! You don't think you can? Well, once I'm done teaching you, you would be able to laugh in your sleep if you wanted to! You don't mind if I take you to my apartment though? Cause that's the only place I know other then here that I could teach you" he explained happily, his head focused towards the exit of the grounds.

"Whatever." Sakura huffed, her voice annoyed, contradictory with the smile on her face. "As long as I'm home by seven."

"All right!" Naruto yelled once again. However, in his excitement, he started running, dragging Sakura with him.

"BAKA! Let me go! I'm capable of walking on my own!"

It was the start of a beautiful and long friendship.

* * *

><p><strong>An: so, How was it? I meant to post it at the end of August, but school is Dominating my time. Which means that I'll probably take a long time to update this. Constructive Criticism please! The first one to do so will get a cookie!<br>**


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